Fence post clamp



"Jul 14, 1931. L. w. PETERS 1,814,228

FENCE POST CLAMP Filed May 25. 1929 fizz/672 5;: levizaraf WPiEri Patented July 14, 1931 LEONARD W. PETERS, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA FENCE POST CLAMP Application filed. May 25, 1929. Serial No. 365,927.

This invention relates to fence post clamps and the like, and is illustrated herein as embodied in a clamp made out of a piece of deformable wire and adapted to serve in connection with metallicfence posts.

Metallic fence posts are coming more and more into use, and owing to the fact that the ordinary fasteners, such as staples, nails, and the like, cannot be employed in connection with them, the importance of providing an inexpensive wire fence post clamp is becoming more and more pronounced daily. It is,acc0rdingly, an important object of this invention to provide a clamp of the character under discussion that is simple in design and construction and very efiicient in operation.

One of the disadvantages to which fence post clamps of this character are generally subject is that when the clamp is applied it is extremely difficult and in most instances impossible to draw the wire strands of the fence tightly into contact with the post. This is objectionable for the reason that the fence may sag at different points throughout its length and apart from presenting an unattractive appearance it may even fall or be otherwise rendered useless. It is accordingly an important feature of this invention to provide a deformable wire fence post clamp which may be applied with ease and facility and during its application will draw the wire strands of the fence closely and firmly into engagement with the post.

Other objects and features of the inven tion will become apparent from a reading of the following specification in the light of the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a View in front elevation of a section of a fence post and a section of a fence strand attached thereto by means of the novel clamp;

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the parts shown in Figure 1 showing in dotted lines the position occupied by the clamp before it is permanently applied;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Figures 1 and 2; and

Figure 4- is a View in perspective of the clamp that is shown in the remaining figures,

There is shown in the drawings a metallic fence post 10 of a type used to quite an extent today, comprising, as shown more clearly in Figure 3, astem 12, and a plurality of outwardly extending flanges 1 1, 16 having corrugated portions 18, 20 formed on their outer edges. For the purpose of illustrating the present invention a single wire strand 22 is illustrated as extended across the face of the post 10 and being seated, as shown in Figure 2, within oppositely alined depressed portions of the corrugations 18 and 20.

To the end of holding, or maintaining, the wire strand 22 in firm engagement with the post 10 to prevent slippage between the two there is provided a novel fence post clamp which, as illustrated, comprises a body portion 24 of a shape conforming somewhat to the cross-sectional shape of the fence post and adapted to encircle the latter. A plurality of deformable extremities a and Z) are located at the opposite ends of the body portion 24: of the clamp and these deformable extremities comprise intermediate looped portions 26, 28 that ordinarily extend perpendicularly to the plane of the body portion 2 1 and a plurality of inwardly extending terminals 30, 32 that are adapted to lie in the rear of the oppositely extending flanges 14, 16 of the fence post 10.

In applying the clamp to a fence post and wire strand the former is moved forwardly from the rear of the post to a position in which it encircles the latter-and is disposed just below the horizontally extending wire strand. T hereupon the clamp is lifted vertically until it occupies the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, in which position and intermediate, deformable, wire engaging portions 26 and 28 extend'upwardl'y parallel tothe face of the fence post and slightly in front thereof. At this time, the inwardly extending terminal portions 80, 32

are, asshown in Figure 2, inclined upwardly and rearwardly away from the rear faces of the flanges 14 and 16. l Vith the clamp in this position some suitable instrumentality, such, for example, as a nail, punch, screwdriver, etc, is employed to engage the deformaole intermediate portionsQG, 28 and bend them rearwardly from the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2 to that shown in full lines. During the course of this bending operation the terminal portion 32 will move downwardly toward the position shown in full lines until it engages the rear face of the flange 16 in which condition it resists further movement with the result that continued bending imparted to the deformable portion 28 results in that portion being drawn rearwardly pulling the wire strand firmly into engagement with the face of the post and drawing the body portion of the clamp tightly upon the stem thereof. The rearward bending ofthe wire engaging portions 26, 28 is continued until they have assumed a horizontal position, as shown in Figures 1 2, and 8, whereupon the application of the clamp to the post is complete and the wire" strand is gripped very tightly.

I Although the invention has been disclosed herein with particular reference to T-shaped fenc'e' posts it is to be appreciated that the invention is not limited its application to posts of any particular type, but may be accom'modated to practically any kind of post without constituting a departure from the invention, and it is also to be understood that from time to time changes and modifications may be introduced into the illustrated embodiment of the invention without departing from the true scope thereof as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what- I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, is:

l. A fence post clamp having, in combination, a body and a plurality of unjoined extremities, one of said extremities comprising a post engaging terminal and a wire engaging intermediate portion. j 2-. A fence post clamp having, in combinzu tion, a body and a plurality of unjoined extremities, one of said extremities comprising a post engaging terminal and a wire engaging intermediate portion, said wire engaging portion being looped and adapted to be deformed when applying the clamp.

3. A fence post clam-p having, in combination, a body and a t eformable extremity, said extremity comprising a U-shaped wire engaging portion extending substai tially at right angles to the body of the clamp in the first instance and constructed and arranged to be bent substantially parallel to the body of the clamp during application,

4. A fence post clamp having, in combination, a body and a deformable extremity comprisin a wire engaging portion, said last mentioned portion and a post engaging terminal portion adapted to serve as a lever during the operation of bending the Wire engaging portion,- whereby a tight joint is obtained between the wire and the wire-engag ing portion;

5. A fence post clamp having, in combination, a body, and a plurality of deformable extremities, each of said extremities comprising a post engaging terminal, and a looped wire engaging intermediate portion adapted to be deformed in applying the clamp.

6. A flanged fence post, having, in combination therewith,- a wire engaging clamp comprising a body and a deformable extremity, said extremity comprising an intermediate wire engaging portion and aterminal-portion, said last portion adapted to engage and press against a flange of the post to serve as a lever during the deforming of the wire engaging portion.

7. A fence post c laimp having-in combination, a body portion adapted to engage the rear of the post, a deformable extremity at each end thereof, comprising a portion bent upon itselfand terminating in a free end directed inward, said free end adaptedto engage a flange of the post, the portion inter mediate the free end and the body serving as a wire en aging portion.

8. A fence post clamp having in combination, abody portion adapted. to engage the rear of the post, a pluralityof deformable extremities, each of said extremities comprising a portion bent upon itself forming a'U- shaped wire engaging portion and a. post engaging terminal, said terminal adapted to engage a flange of the post, and said wire engaging portion adapted to be bent rearward in securing the clamp to the post.

Signed at Duluth, Minnesota, this 18 day or May, 1929.

LEONARD W. PETERS. 

